The average human attention span has decreased from 12.5 seconds in 2000 to a mere 8.25 seconds today. This, combined with people’s hectic schedules, leaves little room for lengthy training courses. Microlearning addresses this challenge by breaking down training into brief, easily digestible segments.
It can be delivered through various means, such as mobile app notifications, email series, infographics, or even gamified experiences. The brevity of microlearning ensures that employees stay engaged throughout the process.
Psychological research further supports the effectiveness of this approach, demonstrating that concepts presented in short, spaced-out sessions tend to linger in the memory for longer periods.
This not only makes it easier to recall what you’ve learned but also speeds up the retrieval process.
Benefits of Microlearning for Corporate Education
Microlearning in L&D fills a key role in corporate education. It can be part of a hybrid L&D program, filling gaps in training or making up the bulk of your learning and development plan.
Microlearning is a robust learning method when teams struggle with a particular concept because it breaks the concept down into small parts.
It also can help companies introduce a new procedure or software incrementally or reintroduce a concept employees are already familiar with. Let’s highlight some of the main benefits:
Digestibility
Microlearning is a training method designed to make learning easily digestible and highly effective. It achieves this by breaking down complex topics and information into bite-sized, manageable chunks.
Prevents Burnout
Burnout is rising globally and causes workers to distance themselves from their jobs, think increasingly negative thoughts, lack energy, and be less effective professionally.
Longer, more formal learning opportunities will likely bring more stress to already overworked employees. Short bursts, however, are less likely to bring on burnout.
Can Offer Personalized Learning
You can personalize microlearning modules toward employees’ goals, needs and interests.
Employees can skip over material they already know and focus on what they need to advance their careers. When training meets their needs, employees will remain focused longer.
Saves Money
Microlearning is also cost-effective when compared with more traditional forms of learning.
It requires fewer resources to deliver, and it keeps workers away from their other duties for a shorter time. If adequately distributed, employees can quickly search microlearning nuggets for solutions to problems, improving productivity further.
Five Ways Microlearning Can Impact the Organization
Microlearning is shaping the future of work. It impacts organizations in five key ways.
1. Microlearning can dramatically improve employee productivity
Recent studies show that microlearning enhances an employee’s ability to retain information by about 18 percent over traditional learning techniques.
Employees can effectively put their learning into practice within their job responsibilities when they can remember and retain it. Additionally, microlearning happens seamlessly, allowing employees to remain at their workstations and maintain their productivity throughout the day.
2. It also improves retention
One key to greater retention is a greater level of employee engagement. Microlearning easily fits into the culture of email, Slack, social media, and smartphone use.
Also, studies show that three of the top five factors that lead to employees leaving the company are related to a lack of professional development opportunities and internal recruitment options. Microlearning provides experiences that make learning pervasive.
3. Microlearning also improves the employee experience
Research shows that companies that provide an excellent employee experience tend also to offer a superior customer experience.
4. It future-proofs the organization
It helps employees to upskill and train across functions. It is also easy to update based on learner feedback and changing needs.
5. It shapes a learning culture
Employees can devote time to learning modules more often because the modules are brief. Employees can also grab their learning right at their desks without going to another physical or virtual location.
They can also learn on their schedule and, sometimes, while on the go. The frequency and ease of training help build a learning culture in your company.
Microlearning blurs the line between learning and work because it occurs before, during, and after the moment when the learner must know the content.
Examples of Microlearning
Microlearning can be applied to various tasks, such as providing quick briefings, enhancing skills, offering on-the-job support, facilitating onboarding, and ensuring compliance training.
The effectiveness of microlearning is closely tied to its organization and accessibility for employees, as well as the accuracy of its tags, categories, and descriptions.
Here are some effective microlearning formats:
- Interactive videos are a highly popular choice
- Short quizzes and games can make learning enjoyable while reinforcing team knowledge
- Short-scrolling pages allow users to quickly navigate through linear processes
- Email sequences that engage and invite people to a short learning experience
Final Thoughts
Microlearning is a powerful tool that can revolutionize corporate education and training. With the average human attention span decreasing and employees facing increasingly hectic schedules, the need for concise and effective learning methods has never been greater.
As the future of work continues to evolve, microlearning blurs the line between learning and work, making it a seamless part of employees’ daily routines. Its flexibility and accessibility ensure that learning can happen anytime, anywhere.
Incorporating microlearning into your corporate education strategy can lead to more engaged and skilled employees, ultimately benefiting your organization’s growth and success. Don’t miss the opportunity to leverage the power of microlearning for your team’s development.
Voxy supports corporate customers in over 150 countries with access to live language coaching led by certified teachers and an extensive library of role-specific courses that leverages microlearning to upskill your team.
Click here to set a 15 minute assessment session to talk about your company’s language training needs.
